Hopper door for railway hopper cars



June 9, 1931. A. SMALL ,5

HOPPER DObR FOR RAILWAY HOPPER CARS Filed on. 10. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Event.-

Hrlfmrli I June 9, 193 1. I

A. E. SMALL HOPPER DOOR FOR RAILWAY HOPPER CARS Filed Oct. 10. 1929 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Jill Bwemar HrilmrE 8112211 flllome Patented June 9, 1931UNITED STATES ARTHUR SMALL, or onrcaeo, rtnmors ass'renon '10 ,UnronrnrA L rnonuc'rs COMPANY, or crrrceeo, ILLINOIS,YA, COR-PYORATION orDELAWARE HOPPER 13003 FOR RAILWAY norrERcAns Application filed October10, 1929. Serial 'No.-39s,e25.

The invention relates to railway freight such pair of doors by means ofa member (or preferably a spreader beam which may be used to close thedoors) forming a straight line with the lower edges of the doors wherebythe doors and the member may be used to spread an even thickness ofballast over the roadbed. A further object is to position the doors sothat they are at an angle to the vertical when in closed position sothat as they are dropped to open position the lower g edges of the doorsand the member approach" the rails of the track, whereby the thicknessof the ballast may be regulated by opening or closing the doors.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a typical application of my device to a railway car. i

Fig. 2 is a section through the middle of the door of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a door in detail.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show modifications.

The usual parts of the car are shown, such as center sills 2; side walls3; lower side chord 4 hopper lower sheets 5 hopper inside sheet 6 andhopper outside sheet 7.

The car shown is provided with a pair of hoppers, each having adischarge opening and I provide a pair of doors 10 having aligned hinges11 for simultaneously opening or closing said openings. The lower edges12 of my doors are substantially equidistant from the axis of the hingeand are connected by a member 13 forming a straight line 14 with thelower edges 12 whereby the doors may be used to spread an even thicknessof ballast over the roadbed, which operation is usually performed whilethe car is being slowly moved over the track.

I also prefer to position the doors at an angle to the vertical when inclosed position so that as the doors are moved to open position theheightof the 'bottoin edge of the doors and member from. the rail isvaried so thatthe thickness of the ballast may be regulated by theopening or closing of the doors.

', In the preferred form I connect the two doors by means of aspreaderbeam which is used to simultaneously open or close the doors. Thisspreader beam .forms a straight line 14 withthe bottom edges of thedoor, as shown in Fig. 1.'

Fig. 5 shows a modified form wherein the doors are each provided with alateral extension adjacent its lower edge which' are=secured together.The lower edges 26 of the door and the lower edges 27 of the extensions:3.

25 form a straight line.

Fig. 6 shows another modified form wherein similar lateral extensions 30overlap each other andare'securedtogether, and preferably provided withan aperture 31 to accommodate a part of the door raising mechanism. I rY c Fig. 7 shows another modified form wherein the lateral extensions'34 are overlapped in a different way. 7 4 n;

' Tl1e'accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of theinvention, though it is to be understoodthat the invention is notlimited to the exact-details of construction shown and described, as itis'obvious that '11:;

various modifications thereof within the scopeof the'claims will occurto persons skilled in the art.

' I claim: a

'1, In arallway car, the combination of 12:;

'a pair of hoppers, each provided with a discharge opening, and a onepiece casting comprising a pair of doors for said openings and anintegral spreader beam connecting the doors. r 2. In a railway car, thecombination of a pair of hoppers, each provided with a discharge:opening, and a one piece casting comprising a pair of doors for saidopenings and an integral spreader beam connecting a? the doors forming astraight line with the lower edges of the doors.

3. In a railway car, the combination of a pair of hoppers, each providedwith a discharge opening, and a one piece casting '1 comprising a pairof doors for said openings and an integral spreader beam connecting thedoors, each of said doors having a depressed central portion, saidspreader beam 5 being connected to said central portions.

4. In a railwaycar, the combination of a pair of hoppers, each provided.with a discharge opening, and a one piece casting com,- prising a pairof doors for said openings and 1 an integral spreader beam connectingthedoors, each of said doors having a depressed central portion ofmaximum depth adjacent its lower part, said spreader beam beingconnected to said central portions at their places of maximum depth.

5. In a railway car, the combination of a pair of hoppers, eachprovided; with a discharge opening, and a one iece casting comprising apair of doors or said openings and an integral spreader beam connectingthe doors forming a straight line with the lower edges of the doors,each of said doors having a depressed; central. portion of maximum depthadjacent its lower part, said spreader beam being connected to said cantral portions at their places of maximum depth.

6. In a railway car, the combination of a pair of hoppers, each providedwith a; discharge opening, and a one piece casting comprising a pair ofdoorsfor said. openings and an integral spreader beam connecting thedoors of maximum depth between the doors.

7. In a railway car, the combination of a pair of hoppers, each providedwith a dischargeopening, and, a one piece casting comprising a pair ofdoors for said openings and an integral spreader beam connecting thedoors, and a door supporting. mechanism attached to the spreader beam.

8. In a railway car, the combination of a pair of hoppers, each providedwith a discharge opening, and a onepiececasting comprising a pair ofdoors for said openings and an integral spreaderbeamcorrnecting thedoors, and a door supporting mechanism attached to the: spreader beambetween the doors.

9. In a railway car, the combination of a pair of hoppers,.each providedwith a discharge opening, and, a one piece casting comprising a pair ofdoors forsaid openings and an inte ral spreader-beam connecting thedoors of maximum depth between the doors, and a door supportingmechanismat.- tached; to the spreader bearnbetween the doors;

ARTHUR E;-

